RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Calha's stunner, Bisseck's save: Cagliari vs. Inter in five moments
An intense, entertaining, attack-minded Inter side, full of pace and creativity, was also prepared to dig deep late on to leave the Unipol Domus with all three points. On matchday 2 of Serie A, the Nerazzurri’s first away game of the season ended in a second straight win: a 1-0 victory at Cagliari, thanks to another stunning long-range strike from Hakan Calhanoglu. Chivu’s side impressed with their build-up play and attacking output, denied only by an excellent Caprile. It was a special night for Barella, dominant in midfield, and Bastoni, who made his 300th appearance for Inter. Josep Martinez also left his mark with two decisive saves, while Yann Bisseck made a crucial late intervention, getting his head to Adopo’s close-range effort.
We look back at Cagliari v Inter through five key moments, five snapshots that stood out from Matchday 2.
CALHA DOES IT AGAIN
Let’s rewind one week. Six minutes into Inter v Monza, Diouf played a low ball in from the right to the onrushing Calhanoglu, who set himself before unleashing a thunderous strike that flew under the crossbar to open the scoring at San Siro. It was a stunning finish – so good, in fact, that he decided to repeat the trick at the first opportunity, albeit with a few variations. That was how Calha broke the deadlock at the Unipol Domus. This time, Barella provided the pass, the shot came from a slightly more central position and the trajectory was completely different. Struck with the inside of his foot, from behind it looked as though the ball might drift wide of the post, but the spin Calhanoglu generated produced a magical trajectory that curled into the bottom corner. A touch of magic, the same outcome: Inter ahead, Inter victorious.
It was another spectacular addition to the Turkish midfielder’s collection of goals from outside the box, further strengthening his impressive record from range. Since making his Serie A debut in 2017/18, Hakan has scored more goals from outside the box than any other player in the competition: 22, one more than Paulo Dybala and Ruslan Malinovskiy. Since joining Inter in 2021/22, meanwhile, Calhanoglu (15) is one of only three players to have scored at least 15 goals from outside the box across Europe’s top five leagues, alongside Harry Kane (16) and Kylian Mbappé (22). His goal against Cagliari also made him only the second Inter midfielder to score in each of his first two Serie A appearances of a season in the three-points-for-a-win era, after Thiago Motta in 2011/12. With two goals already in this Serie A campaign, Calha is also the only midfielder to have scored more than once in each of the last 14 seasons across Europe’s top five leagues, dating back to his debut in those competitions with Hamburg in 2013/14.
A SPECIAL NIGHT FOR BARELLA AND BASTONI
The 32nd minute, the ball at Alessandro Bastoni’s feet. The Nerazzurri defender looked up, but the idea was already there. A long, perfectly weighted ball in behind picked out Barella’s run: Caprile misjudged it, Nicolò read it to perfection and met it first time with his right foot. The ball was heading for the net, only for Juan Rodriguez to intervene. It was a familiar combination between the pair, a connection that has given Inter fans plenty to celebrate over the years. In Inter v Juventus in 2020/21, the season of the Nerazzurri’s 19th Scudetto, Barella raced onto a perfect Bastoni pass to score Inter’s second in a 2-0 win. The same combination struck again two years later in a 3-0 victory over Sampdoria at San Siro, and in the first leg of the quarter-final against Benfica, when Alessandro crossed from deep for Nicolò to head home.
The game in Cagliari was special for both. Bastoni made his 300th appearance for Inter, a milestone that symbolises his enduring bond with the Nerazzurri colours, while Barella dominated the midfield at the stadium he called home for four seasons. It was a brilliant display from Nicolò: inventive on the ball and relentless in his pressing, composed in possession and determined with his forward runs. His assist for Calhanoglu took him to nine goal involvements against Cagliari, while he has now provided 47 assists in an Inter shirt.
PAVARD’S RETURN
A total of 370 days separated 25 August 2025 and 30 August 2026: the time between Benjamin Pavard’s last appearance in an Inter shirt and the game in Cagliari. The Frenchman’s previous outing for the Nerazzurri had come on Matchday 1 of last season, when Inter beat Torino 5-0 at San Siro to begin their march towards the Scudetto. After a season at Marseille, Benji picked up where he left off. Chivu handed him a starting berth in the back three and Pavard responded with a composed, assured display. He was aggressive in stepping out to intercept and win the ball back in the first half, before showing his versatility after the break by adapting to a role out wide in midfield. From one clean sheet to another, Pavard made a major defensive contribution to the three points Inter brought home from Cagliari.
PEPO, WITH HIS HANDS AND HIS FEET
One of the key qualities for any goalkeeper is the ability to maintain full concentration throughout the 90 minutes. In a game like football, a single moment can change the course of a match, and between the 60th and 63rd minutes, Josep Martinez provided a perfect example. After a first half in which he had barely been called into action, “Pepo” stepped up when it mattered. He made two decisive interventions just as Cagliari began to threaten. The first was instinctive, diving to his left to deal with a dangerous cross-shot from Fadera. Martinez got a strong hand to the ball to prevent Carlos, waiting at the far post, from tapping into an empty net. The second was all about anticipation. Adopo played a ball in behind for Carlos, but the Nerazzurri goalkeeper timed his decision perfectly, racing off his line and sliding in to beat the Cagliari forward to ...
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